Now lawSchools & Uni Introduced in the Senate, 23 Jul 2025

Universities must now follow a sexual violence code

This law lets the Education Minister set a national code on violence linked to gender. Unis and colleges must follow it, including in student housing. A new team in the Education Department checks they follow it. It can fine them if they do not.

Official name: Universities Accord (National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence) Bill 2025

Who it affects

• Uni and college students: Your uni must have careful ways to report and deal with sexual violence and harassment. That includes in student housing.
• Uni and college staff: The code covers your workplace too. Your employer must work to prevent violence linked to gender.
• Uni heads and heads of colleges: The government wants them to answer for whether the code is followed.
• Unis and colleges: They can be looked into, ordered to fix problems and fined if they do not follow the code.
• Companies that run student housing: Unis may have to make them follow rules on violence linked to gender, through contracts.

Sexual assault rife on campus

For years, surveys have found high rates of sexual assault and harassment at Australian unis. This happens on campus and in student halls.

The government wrote notes to explain the bill. They say many students and staff do not know where to get help or make a complaint. Those who do are often unhappy with how it is handled.

In February 2024 all education ministers agreed to a plan to tackle violence linked to gender at unis. One key part was a national complaints officer for students. It started on 1 February 2025. Students can take complaints about their uni or college there.

This law brings in the other key part, a national code. An earlier version of the bill died when Parliament was closed for the 2025 election. The government brought it back in July 2025 with a partner bill. The notes were put out by the Minister for Education, Jason Clare.

What the term covers

Gender-based violence is violence or abuse based on gender. It can also come from unequal power between genders. The government says the meaning is broad.

It includes sexual assault and harassment, and family and home violence. It includes abuse using phones and the internet. It also includes coercive control. That is a pattern of behaviour used to rule over and control a partner.

It can affect women, men and people of all sexual orientations and gender identities.

The national safety code

The law gives the Education Minister power to make the national code. It is a set of rules the minister writes without a new vote. Parliament can cancel it.

The code must aim to make study, work, social life and housing safe, respectful and open to all. Unis must work to prevent and cut violence linked to gender. They must deal with it in a way that puts safety and wellbeing first. They must tackle the causes and have strong rules for leaders.

The code can set rules for student housing. It can also make unis pass rules on to other businesses through contracts. An example is a private company that runs student housing.

The government says the code is meant to need careful processes run by trained people. Careful here means taking account of the harm someone has been through. Unis would also need plans for equal treatment of genders. They would need training on what causes violence.

Say a student is harassed by another resident in a student hall run by a private company. Under the code, the uni must have a clear, safe way to report it and get support. That is true even though the uni does not run the building.

Checks and fines

A new expert team inside the Department of Education will watch over the code. The head of the department holds the legal powers. The team will also give advice to help unis follow the rules.

Unis must keep records and tell the department about some things, like their student housing. That includes the number of beds. They must report some changes within 14 days.

The department can look into cases and demand facts. It can order a uni to fix a problem. It can hand out fines that are paid without going to court. It can also accept written promises that a court can make a uni keep.

The department can ask a court for fines and for orders to stop doing something. The fine for breaking the code is set at 200 fine units. A court can order up to 1,000 units against a uni. A fine unit is a set dollar amount.

The department can make public how well a uni is following the code. The uni gets 14 days to reply first. The team must report on its work to Parliament each year.

Start date

The bill was brought into the Senate on 23 July 2025. The Senate passed it on 31 July 2025. The House of Representatives, the other house of Parliament, passed it on 25 August 2025.

The Governor-General signed it into law on 28 August 2025. The Governor-General is the King's representative in Australia. It became Act No. 34 of 2025. It started the next day.

Fines and other action only apply from 1 January 2026 for unis listed in the main funding law. For all other colleges and places of higher study, they apply from 1 January 2027. The government says this gives them time to get ready.

How they voted

Its journey through Parliament

Official sources

• Bill page on aph.gov.au
• Text of the bill
• Explanatory memorandum
• Bills Digest

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